Detailed visions of the concept designs from the seven shortlisted teams in the running for the new Ross Pavilion (named for William Henry Ross, the former chairman of the Distillers Company) have been released. Following the announcement of the competition earlier this year—in which the likes of Adjaye Associates, Bjarke Ingels Group, Sou Fujimoto Architects and Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter were placed in the running alongside local practices, such as Page\Park—the sensitivity and level of restraint behind the majority of the proposals demonstrates the public and national significance of the site, which sits at the heart of the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.

With all the recent controversy over Zaha Hadid's "copycats" in China, we decided it would be wise to get a better understanding of the often murky world of architectural copyright. In that effort, we've decided to re-print an article by Attorney Jeffrey M. Reichard, who practices construction and intellectual property law with Nexsen Pruet in Greensboro, NC, and knows a thing or two (or ten!) about the subject. The article was originally published as a Construction Law Alert for clients of his firm.

Some people say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. However, under architectural copyright law, imitation could be a very costly endeavor. Here are ten tips to help contractors, owners and architects protect themselves from architectural copyright disputes.

See the 10 Things You Need to Know About Architectural Copyright, after the break...

New images have been released of Shigeru Ban's Terrace House, a 19-storey residential tower for Vancouver that will boast a pioneering hybrid structure of wood, concrete and steel.

Designed for the Vancouver waterfront, the Japanese architect first unveiled plans for Terrace House last year. The initial visual showed a mono-pitched timber-framed structure clad in glass that was to be supported by a concrete and steel core – although no details of height were given at the time.

Humanity always cherishes great works of art that stand the test of time. This June, for example, marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ psychedelic Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and the 20th anniversary of Radiohead’s dystopian Ok Computer. These psychologically satisfying birthdays have generated serious appreciation and nostalgia. Similarly, we also love to praise the longevity of innovative architecture. The AIA bestows an annual “Twenty-five Year Award” to acknowledge projects that have "stood the test of time” and “exemplify design of enduring significance.” But one project a year seems stingy.

Ateliers Jean Nouvel has released new renderings for its plant-covered luxury hotel adjoining a former maternity hospital in São Paulo, which will feature interiors by Philippe Starck.

Nouvel's Paris-based firm teamed up with developer Alexandre Allard of Groupe Allard to create Cidade Matarazzo – a 550,000 square-metre complex of historic buildings being regenerated in the city's centre, including the former Filomena Matarazzo maternity hospital.

Prefabrication is not a new idea for architects, but its usage is arguably on the rise. Using prefabricated materials can keep your costs down, as well as make your project more sustainable and efficient. But for this to happen, there must be a defined process of construction, which respects the architectural intent and integrates the entire structure with the building's facilities. This way, the work can be carried out in the shortest time possible, and the cost of labor and maintenance is reduced, as is the waste of materials.

The five designs selected below adopt prefabricated materials and demonstrate the benefits that it brings to the creative design strategy. Read on to see what each of their architects said about their prefabrication strategy.

British duo Hufton + Crow visited Bangkok to capture these images of Thailand's tallest tower, which was designed by Ole Scheeren and features modular cutaways spiralling around its facades.

The 77-storey MahaNakhon tower topped out in 2015, becoming the tallest building in the Thai capital at 314 metres. As the project neared completion last year, a series of images posted on Instagram displayed its sculptural exterior form.

Scheeren designed the building for local firm Pace Development while still working at Rem Koolhaas' firm OMA, and completed it with his own studio Büro Ole Scheeren following his departure in 2010.

The “Never Built” world so far includes Never Built Los Angeles, a book and exhibit, and the book, Never Built New York. Now, the Queens Museum hopes to continue the exploration into the New York that might have been with a Never Built New York exhibition and has launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of $35,000 to make it happen. The exhibition, curated by Sam Lubell and Greg Goldin and designed by Christian Wassmann, will explore 200 years of wild schemes and unbuilt projects that had the potential to vastly alter the New York we know today.

Graves' other notable home in the city more closely follows his earlier modern style. Its main volume is formed of a deconstructed white cube, and accessed by two single-flight staircases at either end of a bridge-like walkway.

Large windows allow ample light into living spaces, while private spaces are tucked away at the back.

Communicating ideas through imagery are central to the design process. In client presentations, site visits, or public exhibitions, we are required to represent important aspects clearly to the receiver, who is often not an architect. Furthermore, producing detailed architectural drawings can allow us to identify and modify certain aspects of the design.

Diagrams and charts, because of their non-spatial characteristics, are often neglected until the last moments of the design process, however, they can be a useful tool for analysis and organization. Taking the time to think and articulate these elements yield positive results, from understanding and organizing a design process to providing an unexpected change of idea.

In an effort to enhance the graphics and diagrams in architectural representation, check out this series of case studies to help you boost the visual, analytical, organizational power of your work.

Foster + Partners' Apple Park is an "anachronism wrapped in glass" that provides a poor model for company campuses, claims the first major critical review of the project, published by technology magazine Wired.

The eagerly anticipated Apple Park finally began welcoming the tech giant's employees in April 2017, eight years since the late Steve Jobs hired Norman Foster for the project.

As the campus is still not fully complete, there has so far been little in the form of criticism of the ring-shaped structure, its surrounding park and ancillary buildings.

But Wired has published a scathing review – mainly criticising the project's lack of consideration for responding to, or improving, the Bay Area city of Cupertino in which it is located.

"Apple's new HQ is a retrograde, literally inward-looking building with contempt for the city where it lives and cities in general," reads the article, titled If You Care About Cities, Apple's New Campus Sucks.

Its author, Wired deputy editor Adam Rogers, likens the futuristic-looking campus to the suburban tech headquarters of the 1950s.

"By building a mega-headquarters straight out of the middle of the last century, Apple has exacerbated the already serious problems endemic to 21st-century suburbs like Cupertino – transportation, housing, and economics."

"Apple Park is an anachronism wrapped in glass, tucked into a neighbourhood," he adds.

Rogers lays into the design of UK architecture firm Foster + Partners' circular principal office building, saying that it offers little opportunity for change, expansion or legacy – should Apple choose to leave or relocate in the future. Architectural adaptability has been key to Silicon Valley's past success, he adds.

"When you have a statement building like the Spaceship, the circuit can't complete," says Rogers. "If Apple ever goes out of business, what would happen to the building?"

"That's why nobody builds these things anymore," he continues. "Successful buildings engage with their surroundings – and to be clear, Apple isn't in some suburban arcadia. It's in a real live city, across the street from houses and retail, near two freeway onramps."

Professor Alan Short of the University of Cambridge has published a book advocating for the revival of 19th-century architectural ideas to address the crippling energy use of modern skyscrapers. The Recovery of Natural Environments in Architecture proposes an end to the architectural fetish for glass, steel, and air conditioning, instead drawing inspiration from forgotten techniques in naturally ventilated buildings of the 1800s. The book is a culmination of 30 years’ research and design by Prof. Short and his colleagues at the University of Cambridge.

The perspective section is an increasingly popular form of architectural representation, one that is most commonly used in architectural competitions since it allows a technical drawing to be mixed with an image, a section which allows one to easily express the qualities of the space designed in a two-dimensional drawing. Below, we have put together a selection of impressive perspective sections ranging from a realistic aesthetic to a line drawing by hand.

After a study of Madrid’s exuberantly geometric architecture, Digital Designer and Creative Director Joel Filipe continues his formal exploration in a series of photos of the MAAT by AL_A that celebrates the delicate impression of its undulating white tile facade against the bright Lisbon sky. Situated on the Tagus River, architect Amanda Levete creates a reunion between the river and the city with MAAT’s walkable rooftop terrace that draws visitors from the nearby streets of Belem, and with the promenade which steps down to meet the water. The roof provides a gathering space during the day and a place to screen films at night. The low-lying gentle arch of the building allows for a clever play of shadows and light, along with a nod to rippling water.

Arguably the leading name of a generation of internationally high-profile British architects, Norman Foster (born 1 June 1935)—or to give him his full title Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank of Reddish, OM, HonFREng—gained recognition as early as the 1970s as a key architect in the high-tech movement, which continues to have a profound impact on architecture as we know it today.

Gas stations might be boring or even ugly places, but for the most part, you can’t avoid stopping by one on a long trip. However, they have been so many more beyond the basic design of columns, roof and shop over their history.

The following 60+1 filling stations encompass almost a century of architectural progression, showcasing some of the best Art Deco, Bauhaus, futurist, brutalist, minimalist, modernist, Googie building designs of the motorist history. Enjoy the ride!

From the architect. A plan from Client is to build a house at housing zone of Yangdeok-dong, Pohang city but also to operate as a café on a first floor. According to local regulation, 60% for building coverage ratio and 180% for floor area ratio with limitation of 3 floor as a height of the building.

I was mentioned on Dezeen's list of 50 inspirational female architects and designers, to mark International Women's Day back in March. While I greatly appreciated the gesture and sympathise with the idea of giving tribute to the relatively few women who have managed to make their mark on the international world of architecture, I do, however, find these particular kinds of lists a step in the wrong direction.

Allow me to explain; I am not a female architect. I am an architect.

Rarely are women known as female accountants, female lawyers, female taxi drivers or female journalists. But "female architects" seems to be an unshakeable phrase.

When we talk about gender, we tend to talk about women. Men do not really have a gender. They are just… neutral. Non-gender. That is why you do not recognise the term "male architect". It just goes without saying.

Female architects are the exception to that rule. An anomaly worthy of applause and attention once in a blue moon – and International Women's Day seems as blue a moon as any.

When we talk about gender, we tend to talk about womenGroucho Marx famously quipped that he refused to join any club that would have him as a member. You might think that this is my problem. That I simply – due to some private, troubled relationship with my own gender – consider being a woman a personal failure, and that I would rather have go unnoticed. But you would be wrong in that assumption.

I am simply asking for the professional courtesy of being considered an architect, without a pre-fixed set of values or attributes. As a creative person working within a creative field, I rely on my ability to take on complex challenges with a full and multifaceted skill set. I do not approach assignments as a woman, but as a professional architect. But this last part seems to be confusing to many men and women within the business.

The project is a ten-year old residential building in new context of city of Yazd that was referred to the architect during the final stages of reconstruction by another team, due to client’s dissatisfaction with the outcome. We started the process with evaluation of the improper functions Juxtaposition and proceed to problems like lack of harmony, identity and unity in building facade (just like other buildings in Yazd new city textures).Regarding the building location on the corner of a junction and having two western and northern facades, an accrete idea for optimum revitalization of the interior and exterior, by means of a proper method, which can fulfill the client and the architect requirements has been quested.

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